A felony attempted armed robbery charge against a La Grange man could hinge on whether he’s competent to stand trial.

Warren Stidham, 22, remains in the custody of authorities on a $52,000 bond after an alleged botched robbery of the little bank in La Grange Wednesday afternoon. A Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office release said Stidham acted like he had a gun, but it was determined later he only had a pencil.

According to the Lenoir County Clerk of Court, the trial date has been continued to Dec. 13, and Chris Rogerson has been appointed to Stidham’s defense.

The LCSO release said bank staff believed “the man may have been suffering from a drug impairment or had a mental disability.” Stidham lives at a group home one block away from the bank.

“Usually the courts are the ones who decide whether they are able to stand trial or not,” LCSO Chief Deputy Chris Hill said. “We usually just make the charge, and let the courts decide whether they stand trial. There will be an independent hearing, I guess, at some point, to determine whether he’s competent.”

According to state law, the issue of competency can be raised by the prosecutor, the defendant, the defense counsel or the court. Once the question has been raised, the defendant goes through a competency hearing before he can stand trial. In that hearing, the court may appoint one or more impartial medical experts to examine and render an opinion on the defendant’s mental health.

Should the judge find it necessary, felony defendants can be sent to a state mental health facility for observation — for no more than 60 days — without going before a competency hearing.

Vivian Sutton, vice president and city executive of the La Grange little bank, was unavailable for comment.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at WolfeReports.